Priyal woke up to a bright day. The incessant monsoon rains had been falling steadily through the night and the morning was clear and cool. He looked, as always, through the bedroom window at the two thousand acres of tea plantations that grew only a hundred feet from his house and stretched over the hills and valleys like manicured lawns disappearing into the night. blue horizon. This sight never failed to instill a sense of awe at the beauty and bounty of nature.
In the distant mountainous landscape he could see the tea pickers with their baskets slung behind them going about their daily chores of picking the teas from designated areas. These mostly female tea pickers were some of the most efficient human machines, filling their baskets with the bud and two leaves using only their fingers while moving their hands effortlessly and agilely over the tea bushes like a teacher playing with a vast field. green grand piano!
Priyal felt a sense of pride and achievement as he was the chief superintendent of the estate and responsible for all operations from picking to final processing and shipping of the tea leaves from the factory. He had been trained and mentored to do this since he finished high school at the age of nineteen.
He stretched lazily and drew the drapes farther, bringing into view the beautiful, splendid stone and brick bungalow with its tall stone chimneys perched on a hill about 300 feet above his house, which was the highest point. of the property. This bungalow stood out as an apparition from another time and was and was aptly named “Eagles Nest”. Leading up to this bungalow were carefully trimmed and beautifully landscaped tropical gardens that glistened with the morning dew and invited all to visit their enchanting ambiance.
The British planters who built this bungalow in the late 19th century. century had always reserved this place for the Chief Superintendent of the estate and had furnished and equipped it with fine pieces of interior decoration brought from the farthest corners of the colonial British Empire. From the granite-paved porch to the terracotta gallery leading to the fine, polished hardwood flooring in the great room, this work of architecture with its sweeping views of distant hills and rolling valleys was an absolute fluke.
A familiar wave of mixed emotions and feelings began to wash over Priyal, who believed that this prized bungalow should have been his home while he was the chief superintendent or “Peria Dorai”, literally translated as the “big boss” like the other employees of the property. she uses to call him. Just before Priyal was promoted and transferred to this estate, the company management had decided to turn “Eagles Nest” into a kind of resort where foreign travelers paid handsome sums in foreign currency to enjoy the old colonial grandeur. and delight your eyes with views that only nature can offer. The “travel package” included a tour of the factory and a day with the tea pickers. Quite a potent combination of popular tea experience and luxury life combination!
As always, she quickly put these disturbing thoughts away as she headed to the kitchen to make herself an excellent cup of tea with a special blend she had personally developed by blending different grades of tea from various stages of production that produced a rich, richly flavored deep liquor with body. The perfect cup! As soon as the tea leaves began to steep and give off the rich aroma of her, Priyal felt a sense of calm and satisfaction with her ‘karma’ and soon began to look forward to more positive events.
What a great drink tea is, he thought to himself as he drank in the deep, rich nectar that seemed to fill his senses, awaken his day, and bring the promise of a brighter tomorrow!